


All is Fair

by Rosella1356



Series: Pride Writeblr Event 2020 [5]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, But this one makes sense for after that particular set of circumstances, Civil War Team Iron Man, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Learning how to move on, Magic, Moving On, Multi, Not that I'm happy about endgame, Slow burn for a one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosella1356/pseuds/Rosella1356
Summary: Brunnhilde needs to get New Asgard somewhere that isn't on Migard, because that isn't their planet, and it shouldn't become their home. Pepper has many issues with the world that she was left to deal with when her husband died to save everyone. Carol is still just trying to save the universe
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Carol Danvers/Brunnhilde
Series: Pride Writeblr Event 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801411
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	All is Fair

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the writeblr pride writing event. Today's color was blue and the prompt was magic.

Brunnhilde stares at New Asgard with blank eyes. She knows that this planet had been there best shot at rebuilding their nation, and their planet, but this isn’t a home. They aren’t actually the ones that should be here. They have humans on every corner. They have human laws to follow, and none of her people actually know how to follow laws that haven’t come from the royal family, and most of them are sued to Odin playing favorites with who actually suffers and who doesn’t. 

And, she’s the king of all of this now. She didn’t want to be named king, she didn’t want to come home, but now she’s here. These are her people now, and she can’t just back down and leave them to suffer. That means that she needs to contact someone who might know whether there are planets out there that might be habitable for her people. Only, she doesn’t know many of those contacts herself. 

She digs out the phone and hesitates over the number for Pepper Potts, because honestly, the woman deserves for people to leave her alone after everything that her and her family had sacrificed to win this war, but she needs the support. She clicks the number and waits. 

“This is Potts, what can I do for you?”

“This is the valkerie, and king of Asgard.”

The sigh comes clear over the phone. “Whatever you need, just send an itemized bill. Tony said that he’d help you get the starting costs figured out, so I’ll honor his word.”

Brunnhilde snorts over the line in the phone. She had forgotten that a lot of the avengers from the original list seemed to expect that Stark would pave the way with money. “Nah, the second that Thor stepped down, I wasn’t planning on accepting his money. I was wondering whether you have a way to contact Captain Marvel, or I suppose, anyone else that has explored the corners of the universe that we’ve reached.”

“Why?”

“We’re not human. My people that is. And, while this is a lovely planet, and we could build here, eventually things would come to a difficult and costly war. My people will not listen to the rules of your governments for long, because they do not see those rules as being from their monarch, and unless I can find a way to be reasonable about those laws, I’m going to deal with a rebellion followed by a global attack.”

Pepper gives her a weak chuckle. “In other words, most of your citizens still have warmongering tendencies, and you’d rather have them rebuilding on a different planet, where your laws are the final step, than here where you’re constantly walking a fine line.”

“You’re blunt.”

“Only blunt to the ones who are blunt in return. And given that you started the answer with we’re not human, I figured you appreciate it.”

Brunnhilde nods, even knowing that the woman can’t see her. “I’d also like to offer you my condolences. I know that this must be a horrendous time for you. If there is anything that I or my nation could do to make things easier for you, let me know and I’ll find a way to see it done.”

“You didn’t know us,” Pepper points out. 

“No, I didn’t. Yet, your husband died for us all the same. If there is a price to be had, then we will gladly pay it. Or, I should say, I will make my people pay it, because without your husband, there wouldn’t be people for me to lead.”

Pepper types a few things on a keyboard as she remains on the phone. “I’ve contacted Captain Marvel, she says she’ll stop by you the next time that she stops in on Earth, which when I talked to her last, she’s going to try to do once every three months.”

“Until, then Mrs. Stark.”

“Ms. Potts, actually. I won’t use his name. I don’t think I can.”

Brunnhilde hangs up. She settles herself into waiting for three months before getting a better answer. She changes strategy for her people on rebuilding. She has them focus on food, with some of the seeds going into storage so that perhaps when they reach the new planet, they’ll have a bit of food to start things off without having to rely completely on the environment. She also puts most building plans on hold, for proper time to be used to complete their weaponry, their technology, and their magic. They’ll need supplies when they leave. 

Almost a month into her wait, her phone rings. When she sees the name Pepper pop up on her screen, she hurries to answer. “Ms. Potts?”

“Does that offer still stand?”

“What do you need?” Brunnhidle could probably get across the world in less than a couple minutes if she tried hard enough. She could equally send others there in about double that amount of time. Whatever is wrong, if she could fix, she would. 

“Did Banner ever explain to you what all happened with the politics of our world before Thanos came and wiped most of it down?”

“Only where it applied to New Asgard. I had enough politics that I had to deal with that I couldn’t handle personal matters with those laws. Apologies.”

Pepper snorts on the other end of the line. “Trust me, you don’t owe me an apology for that. It just means that I need to explain some things. For instance, the avengers fell apart, because Tony wanted them to follow the law, and some of the others saw that as an unreasonable request.”

“Seems like bullshit,” Brunnhilde states. 

“Right. Anyway, now that the world has been saved, and the other avengers have been granted pardons for there whole breaking the law situation, because of their roles in saving said world.”

“Reasonable of the government.” 

“Yep. Completely reasonable. What’s not reasonable is that they have set up fifteen separate meetings with me in order to try to force me into funding them through SI,” Pepper growls. 

Brunnhilde smiles on her end of the phone. She’s always had a thing for women who stood up for themselves. “That reminds me, I have a business proposal for you at some point. But, don’t worry about those people. Just get me a list of names, and I’ll take care of it.”

“You personally have a business proposal or you as King of Asgard.”

“I’m starting to learn that those two things are not as separated as I once hoped for them to be. I am both the same girl I was before, and I am also the king of a nation. I could show up for the business meeting as whichever you would prefer.”

“I prefer to keep business and personal separate. So, the king of Asgard has a meeting with me in two weeks time, about two weeks before Carol, you know her as Captain Marvel, will be back on Earth.” 

Brunnhidle bites down on the inside of her tongue to stop herself from pointing out that Pepper had blurred those lines on more than one occasion and was recovering from getting burned. That wouldn’t help either of them. “Text me those names.”

Pepper sends the message through almost as quickly as they hung up. 

_Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, and Clint Barton – Pepper Potts._

Then a second message pops up almost immediately. 

_Those are the ones who showed up to the meeting. I am aware that both Steve Rogers and Scott Lang are supporting them. I don’t want to know what your way of fixing this looks like, but please get them to stop – Pepper Potts._

Brunnhilde knows for a fact that all of those old avengers were still living in the compound that Stark had given them while they were trying to help rebuild the world after the snap once he had arrived back home. That’s one of the main ways she knows what type of person Stark is, and why she would always help Pepper in whatever ways that she can manage. She’ll just show up to have a friendly chat, with a couple guns and swords just in case things go a bit differently than expected. 

She goes to find Korg. She stresses upon him the fact that she’ll be out for a day at the most, and that he is to keep the peace for however long that takes. He seems to agree without any problems, so she takes off for the compound. 

She walks up to the front door and stares at the door for a long moment. “FRIDAY, do me a favor and tell the residents that I am here to have a conversation?”

“You are welcome inside. The way that boss handled the transfer of property made them free tenants, the name of the lease is that of Ms. Potts. She just continues to make good with most of the deals that boss left before he died. She sees that as one of the purest ways to honor his memory.”

Brunnhilde pushes open the door. She marches inside with purpose to find all of the so called avengers sitting in the kitchen. “Good, you’re all here.”

Steve still in a chair tilts his head. “You were at the battle with Thanos. Is there another inter-galactic threat, ma’am?”

“Last living Valkyrie and all that jazz. And no. I’m here to get y’all to stop being dicks. Preferably peacefully, but that remains to be decided by you. See, here’s the thing. You don’t own this place, because none of you have even a percent of the amount of money needed to afford it. You don’t have a right to anyone else’s money, because you don’t do anything other than save the world when it is in danger. That’s not a job, that’s a right. Now, if you were like Captain Marvel and made a living out of it, good for you. So, you’re going to stop trying to convince a grieving widow to pay for your stuff.”

Sam holds out his hands in the universal peace gesture. “I don’t know why you’re here with these demands, but you’re not from Earth. They need us, and we need money to operate.”

“Delusional,” she mutters under her breath. “Listen, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you. I’m here on behalf of a friend who is frankly sick with all of the bullshit that spills out of your mouth, so I’d prefer if you just agreed to stop bothering them.”

Wanda glances up. “But we need the money!”

“Then, find a way to get some. Hell, I’m not going to come after you if you choose to rob wherever houses the money on this planet, although the law might. I don’t care. I just want you to stop trying to get Stark Industries to pay your way.”

Clint places a hand on Wanda’s shoulder to force her magic back down. “Hey, we’re all on the same side, remember. She wants the world to be safe, we want the world to be safe. It’s all the same side just spinning too fast for us to see that.”

Brunnhilde inclines her head to the man. She’ll allow him to say his piece before speaking again. Primarily, because the next time she spoke, she was going to shoot the oldest one in the leg with one of her guns to make sure that her point gets across, while threatening the one who has already tried to pull magic into this mess. She has magical immunity, just as much as Captain Marvel does, although for extremely different reasons. 

“It’s like I’ve been telling you guys, Pepper isn’t going to pay for us. She’s got to think of the future of the industry now that their money maker is six feet under. We’ve got to jump on the next Stark.”

Brunnhilde doesn’t even try to stop her natural instincts, when she throws the punch at the man. He falls to the ground, and she spins on the witch. “Try your magic on me, I am a Valkyrie. And, next time I have to show up here, I’ll just drop your bodies into a nice ditch. I’m so done playing nice. The Starks didn’t and wouldn’t owe you shit, even if Tony Stark was alive. Money is not yours to command.”

She stalks out of the building when her phone buzzes. 

_We’re at the Stark Towers, if you want to stop by for drinks. After dealing with them, all of us tend to turn to alcohol. We’ll catch up. – Pepper Potts._

She shrugs and turns to go the opposite direction. She types out a message of her own. 

_Don’t know if they got the message._

_Not to worry, they never do. But, they’ll probably stop for a couple months until you’re off planet. That buys me a couple of months of peace – Pepper Potts._

FRIDAY easily directs her into the suite level, where the other man in a suit lays sprawled across the couch, three kids all sit cross-legged working on some type of plan, one of Thanos’ daughters is dancing silently, and Pepper holds out a glass. 

“Welcome to the family,” Pepper drawls. 

Brunnhilde takes a sip of the alcohol before scanning the room again. “Lovely family. All of them seem sad still.”

“Grief takes time,” Thanos’ daughter comments. 

“Yes, but usually not the actual wallowing portion.”

Rhodey groans. “We don’t normally act all morose, but this would have been his birthday.”

Brunnhilde nods once, she raises her drink. “To Stark, the man who saved us all.” 

“To Tony,” the rest cheer with her. 

Brunnhilde leaves in the morning, after making sure that Pepper was alright to get the children up and to wherever the were meant to be. She wouldn’t leave if they weren’t okay, she tells herself. She’s not really sure what else she could have done, but she’d figure it out. 

So, the next two weeks, include constant arguments in front of her throne. Some of their people are already thinking that the land given to them was a spiteful amount, something to try to control them. She tried to explain the numbers to them, but everything was so different than the city and planet that they had, so she gave up. She tells them to hold out for a few more weeks. That seems to work. 

She flies herself over to New York for her business meeting. She wears her throne, and she keeps her posture so straight that even Odin couldn’t have found fault with her. She walks up to the front desk. “Meeting with Ms. Potts. This is the King of Asgard.”

The secretary looks up when she hears the voice, because while the appointment does say the King of Asgard, the person in front of her was clearly a woman. “Umm, aren’t most kings, uh, male.”

“On Migard, or you call it Earth, yes. Where I come from, no. That’s just a title given to the highest ranking member of royalty. No gender requirements.”

“Of course. The meeting is taking place in the conference room, on the top floor.”

Brunnhilde nods. She crosses the floor to the elevator, and she ignores all of the stares that she gains. She doesn’t quite understand all of the different reasons for these meetings in the way that the migardians use them, but she can play games as well as Loki could when she bothered. 

“King,” Pepper greets as she pushes open the door.

“CEO,” she attempts to use the proper address back.

Pepper laughs as she closes the door. “Just Ms. If you’re trying to be polite.”

“Ah, I think I might understand business better than I do the language differences.”

“Yes, you have a proposal for Stark Industries.”

Brunnhilde nods. Then, she takes a seat as she tries to organize the thoughts racing through her mind. She knows that Pepper had a press conference, introducing Peter and Harley to the world as they took over Stark Industries R&D program. They were just like Stark constantly building more of a weapon to save the people all around them. 

“Right, so I know that when Stark Industries was first built, it was just a national company. A very successful one, but rather small on the grand scale of things. I know that Mr. Stark expanded those premises into an international global company, that employs hundreds of thousands of people all across the world.”

Pepper nods. “Yes, I believe with the introduction of New Asgard, that is one of the few places that we do not have some employees or a base of operations within the borders of a country.”

“I believe that your company shouldn’t be limited to just your planet,” she drops. She watches as Pepper’s jaw drops. She saw astonishing her as one of the main goals of this whole situation. 

“I have a reasonable amount of understanding of the empires out within the universe, the galaxy and further, that would all benefit from you having bases of operation and sales within them. This would give humanity a chance to interact with the rest of the living creatures rather nicely, and your company would be the face of Earth. On top of this, I have no doubt that the research department would find ways to incorporate the sciences from other planets rather spectacularly into new designs that could benefit more than just Earth.”

Pepper blinks at Brunnhilde for a long moment. “FRIDAY?”

“Yes, Ms. Potts?”

“Put this conversation on lock down. The government doesn’t get to know until I have made a decision, and then after the board has been notified. Do you understand?”

“It is done.”

Pepper turns back to Brunnhilde with a pleasant expression. “Some people within this world would consider this a treasonous conversation. Most of them would not be incorrect to assume that much. This could easily be a way that Stark Industries could take over the world.”

“No doubt, but that would not be your goal.”

“What would New Asgard want for their help in making sure that we become an intergalactic company?”

“Supplies to help us get started on a new planet, and that your first non-earth based company project would be on this new planet of ours.”

Pepper bites her lips as she thinks over the idea. “You will not repeat the words I am about to tell you, not to anyone.” 

Brunnhilde shrugs. She’s used to keeping secrets. This will be a larger secret than what she prefers. “As you wish.”

“I’m sending the supplies you need with your people, the second that Carol tells me that she’s found a place for you. That was never going to be part of a business deal. I am not my husband, but you have been a decent friend to me, so that much I would have given to you.”

“Seems like a terrible business plan, but alright.”

“As much as I would like to say hell yes to expansion. I cannot. I cannot do that until you are established on a planet, even then I wouldn’t be able to do so until, my daughter wanted to see her aunt the Valkyrie, and we made a space trip one month. I cannot assume that these things will happen in an orderly fashion.”

“Laws,” Brunnhilde muses.

“I’m going to have to get most of our legal team and all our PR on this, long before I can make a deal. I’m going to have to play loose and hard with several different laws to get this even remotely possible, yet, I will do that. I will make this happen, just not at the moment.”

Brunnhilde shrugs once more. “Your rules are weird. In Asgard that would have been taken as a certainty. Somethings can be done in the moment, and some cannot. This was never meant to be an immediate choice, but rather something that you should ponder and want to do at a later date.”

“Why?”

“Because I would prefer that the worlds out in the universe learn how to exist together. Because I want your company to expand. Because I’ve seen the destruction of things through history more than just once.”

Pepper reaches out. “You’re trying to make sure that when the next threat comes, we’re more than just scattered allies of circumstance. You want the worlds to know each other, you want them to care for each other.”

“A foolish set of desires, but yes. And, as the King of Asgard, I’m going to do my best to ensure that happens. I’m going to do my best to make sure that we end up with the best chance of a better life. I won’t make the same mistakes as those before me,” she swears. 

“Wait for me on your planet. I’ll do what I can to help you change the universe.”

“Why?”

Pepper snorts that little laughing noise that Brunnhilde has gotten used to from over the phone. The brief smile that crosses her face is something that Brunnhilde would have started wars for before this moment. “I’m not sure I have an answer. Or at least a full one. Part of it is the fact that I know Tony would have loved this, and I want to do this for him. A part of it is because I want to leave Morgan something bigger than what it is right now and for the world to be a better place.”

“Neither of those is the main truth though, I can see it in your eyes.”

Pepper nods. “If I do this, then I have a place to go to once I can pass the reigns down to Morgan that won’t have any memories of my husband. I will be able to find peace without staring at the memory of him.”

Brunnhilde smiles at that with her teeth showing. “I’m going to quote you on that one. You wouldn’t have to do this in order to get that. I would come get you the second that you asked. Captain Marvel probably would as well. All of us know what it’s like to outlive the people you love.”

Brunnhilde walks out of Stark Industries with a smile on her face, and she catches a glimpse of one of the men from the compound on her way. He runs when he catches sight of her, almost as if they’ve learned to be scared of her. 

That’s how she spends the majority of her time now. She talks with Pepper on the phone. About random things, but her voice seems to give Pepper some amount of comfort. She makes plans with her people about possibly leaving.

When Captain Marvel lands on her front steps, Brunnhidle grins wide and hard. “Welcome back.” 

“Heard you needed me.”

“Something like that. This planet will never be our home. The humans own that right, and while we could win it from them without much trouble depending on whether the Iron family fights, we shouldn’t. They won the war for us.”

“I have a planet that you could probably use. But, are you sure?”

Brunnhilde turns back to the little coastline that they had been trying to build a home on for the last few years. “Yes.”

She sticks her hand out. “Then, I’m Carol, Pepper’s friend.”

“She’s been telling stories,” Brunnhilde groans. 

“Don’t worry. Most of that is because of the fact that she smiles when she talks about you, so all of us tend to push her to talk to you more often. Rhodes retired from the military. He’s planning on convincing Pepper to stay with you when she comes after the first time.”

Brunnhilde casts a glance around the area. “This place isn’t good for her. Everyone here knows that he saved the world, and while others know, they won’t praise his name constantly.”

Carol throws an arm around Brunnhilde. “You got a spaceship?”

That’s how Brunnhilde finds herself on the phone with Pepper working out the details for all of the supplies that they’re going to need, while Carol makes sure that the correct coordinates and pathway are made. The people of New Asgard help in every way that they can think of. This is a much better future than any of them would have dreamed. 

The new planet gets set up easily. Far easier than when they were working on Migard, because Brunnhilde’s word could be law. Also, because there was the availability of magic that they just couldn’t use properly on Migard. That changed the game. 

For the first couple years, Carol is her only connection to Migard, although she does still have a phone that can reach Pepper. They talk frequently, and Carol stops by almost once a month. Usually to complain to Brunnhilde about the evils still out there. 

The first couple of times, Brunnhilde tries to convince her to just retire and come home. There’s no need to ask whether that home would be no Asgard or Migard because she’s learning that when it comes to Carol, it would be wherever Pepper was. After that, Brunnhilde smiles and laughs about whatever mess that the world has gotten itself in. 

New Asgard flourishes under Brunnhilde’s guidance, which is why she isn’t surprised when a small rocket lands with Pepper, Morgan, and Nebula. Nebula tosses a grin to Brunnhilde. “I’m flying because neither of them have done deep space travel before. I figure that if Pepper is ever going to fly herself, you’re going to be the one teaching her.”

“Throwing me under the bus already, before even a day has passed,” Brunnhilde teases. 

Nebula laughs. “That’s because I’m heading right back out. I told Peter that I’d meet him and the guardians for drinks. Apparently, they’ve convinced my sister to stick around for a little while and I would like to go see her again.”

Brunnhilde steps forward, and Morgan runs up to her to give her a huge hug. “You really live here, and you get to be king.”

“Yes.”

Pepper steps around the child to hug Brunnhilde softly. “Missed being able to see you on occasion.”

Brunnhilde takes both Morgan and Pepper all around the planet to show them the sites. She shows them the manor that she’s made into her place. There’s a big enough sitting room on the bottom floor to hold large court meetings, and bedrooms up top for when and if any of her friends wish to come visit. 

She makes sure that while Morgan fawns over the different animals, that Pepper gets a tour of the embassies for other planets that they now hold. 

Pepper stops her in the middle of one of these tours. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the way to expand the company. Then, Rhodes has convinced me to just retire. He’ll hold the company until Morgan is of age, and I’ll move out here. All of the kids have been learning how to pilot suits, and the suits we have found will now last space travel. We can fly back and forth.”

Brunnhilde smiles. “You won’t do well just relaxing here. Take the company on this planet by storm, make sure that Rhodey is the CEO on the Earth and you’re the CEO out here.”

“This is chaos.”

“Hmm, probably, but this will make the world a better place. Plus, we have magic here.”

The rest of their visit is tame. Brunnhilde makes sure that they are comfortable and that Pepper makes design choices for when she’ll come back to stay. 

Once, the company is present on Asgard 2.0, things get much busier for both Pepper and Brunnhilde. Both of them get shot back into the realm of politics. Only this time, they have each other as they navigate. 

Morgan stays in constant contact and comes to visit them throughout the whole Summer. She’s got so good at the suit space travel that sometimes she’s the one that Pepper and Rhodey send to scope out the new planets. 

Pepper comes to Brunnhilde’s room on the anniversary of Tony’s death six years after the battle with Thanos. “You’ve never made a move.”

“And I won’t. Not until you can look me in the eyes and ask me to. You are my friend first and foremost. While I would like to pick you up off your feet and kiss you in the moonlight, I won’t until you ask.”

Pepper nods. “Can you ask Carol whether she can be here in the morning?”

Brunnhilde picks up the phones that almost all planets now have, as they are the best for inter-galactic communications. She dials the number and waits.

“You never call, Brunn. Please tell me you aren’t under attack.”

“Very funny. If I was under attack, I wouldn’t call you, I’d have the palace call you while I was out there fighting. Pepper wants to now if you can be here by morning.”

“I can get there by morning if I try really hard, and I find someone in charge of this place to stop doing whatever it is that this is trying to start a war with the people of this planet.”

“Do you think that will happen?”

“Tell Pepper that I will be there by lunch.”

Brunnhilde hangs up the phone. Then, she turns to Pepper and kisses Pepper’s forehead. “She’ll be here at lunch.”

Pepper retreats back to her room, and Brunnhilde falls back into her bed. She doesn’t know what Pepper wants them both to be present for, but she’ll wait. 

Carol arrives straight at lunchtime with her head cradled in her hands. “Please tell me you have medicine for headaches.”

Brunnhilde tosses her a couple pills with a grin. “How hard did you push yourself?”

“Too hard.”

Pepper steps up to Carol and starts massaging her temples. “Tony wouldn’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life.”

Both of them nod in agreement, because they both know that she is probably telling the truth. While neither of them knew the man well enough to say, that seemed like a reasonable statement to them. 

“Both of you are my best friends, and I’d very much like to try a romantic relationship between us. Knowing that I will have to occasionally leave to check on my businesses, that Carol will leave for saving the universe, and that Brunnhilde will stay here.”

Brunnhilde steps closer to where they are and kisses Pepper above Carol.

Carol twists in her arms to bring her lips onto Pepper’s next. 

Finally, Brunnhilde leans to Carol and pulls her back to kiss her properly as well. She didn’t know what the future held, but Asgard would be their home. They’d be a couple, and a crazy relationship, but they’d be a couple at long last. Magic fills the air, and Brunnhilde takes that as a blessings from both her dead lost love and Pepper’s.


End file.
